I made a HORRIBLE mistake ordering from a hatchery! (Graphic Photos)

[D1N0]

look

 

[D1N0]

Safely they claim...

 

[McChooky]

What hatchery?

I was able to get a fall ship date for cream legbars so I ordered from Ideal

 

[Ralph_Mueller]

Thanks for the warning. I had considered purchasing from them in the past and I'm glad i avoided it. I have had personal good luck with "Chickens for Backyards" as well as "My Pet Chicken" Not to say I haven't experienced losses, but, none that were the fault of the company. They have, however been very diligent in handling those losses in a professional and consoling manner.

 

[llcardinale]

I'm so sorry this happened to you.
I would email these photos to Valley Hatchery and express your concerns (no need to tread lightly imo), in order to take your concerns seriously they will likely need some sort of proof.

Nice thought, but I honestly don't believe they care in the least. I will never order shipped chicks again as well. I just received notice that my order shipped Monday won't arrive until Saturday night. So they will all suffer terribly and die. I'm just sick about it. The world has truly lost its humanity.

 

[llcardinale]

I'm sorry this happened to you.

We've ordered from hatcheries at least half a dozen times over the years. The only times we ever had a problem was one year during shipping a freak blizzard occurred, and the hatchery shipped us a whole new order; the other time was when the chicks arrived on a federal holiday, causing a delay. We refused delivery and again, the hatchery sent a replacement order. It was a different hatchery. For the most part it seems the hatcheries want to provide good service. We've ordered from Cackle, Meyers, Murray McMurray (I think) and Mt. Healthy. All have done well for us and provided us with healthy chicks of the breeds and genders we ordered.

Thank you for your response. I have to say, their AI response system doesn't provide much reassurance. I can't purchase, or accept from, a hatchery when this has been my only experience with them. I'll probably purchase non-sexed chicks locally and just deal with the likelihood of getting a rooster or two.

 

[NatJ]

I just received notice that my order shipped Monday won't arrive until Saturday night. So they will all suffer terribly and die. I'm just sick about it. The world has truly lost its humanity.

Please do update when your chicks arrive and what condition they are in.

Post Office estimates of arrival date are often very wrong on chicks, so it is common for the chicks to arrive in good shape, before the date that was predicted. So it might not be as bad as you fear. (Then again, it might be that bad: you will not know for sure until the chicks are actually there.)

 

[Iluveggers]

Nice thought, but I honestly don't believe they care in the least. I will never order shipped chicks again as well. I just received notice that my order shipped Monday won't arrive until Saturday night. So they will all suffer terribly and die. I'm just sick about it. The world has truly lost its humanity.

My Mon order showed a delivery date expected for Saturday as well. They arrived Tuesday afternoon. Don’t panic yet!

 

[ColoradoChicken88]

I ordered from valley recently. My ordered shipped on Wednesday morning last week and arrived Thursday afternoon. I ordered 15 chicks, they sent 18 and all 18 are doing great.
Sorry about your experience. My order shipped from Missouri.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Drastic changes could mean none of us will be able to afford chicks anymore .Prices keep going up! The hatcheries will have to shut their doors when day old chicks cost $20 and $30 each and $100 to ship

Here's the thing: We already paid $15 to $20 per chick and got what we got with Valley Hatchery.
On an up-note, a group of four live birds that were shipped correctly (using Priority Express) arrived to us in about 2.5 days. Those birds were in good shape, healthy, happy and they're now part of our larger flock.